As many of you know, I have been shooting the San Francisco Bay Bridge reconstruction project for 3 years now. My most recent shoot got me onto the new bridge sections and access to the new SAS (Self-Anchored Suspension) Tower, that soars over 500 feet above the Bay.
This assignment, shot as a fine art project, is being shot in 4×5 because of its monumentality and architecture-like subject matter. I can’t imagine switching to digital capture at this point, as it would have a totally different look. Large format photography also makes one study carefully what to shoot and finding the right perspective. Time of day is critical, too. Typically, I shoot only 10-12 views per afternoon/evening.
In this first image at twilight, I shot from temporary scaffolding between the two roadways looking east. With a very wide lens, I was able to capture both the base and top of the tower. It is difficult to see, but there are workers about to board the boat in the lower right giving a sense of scale. This view also shows the new catwalks that will guide the stringing of the cables.
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Moving to the left on this same platform, I shot this oblique view using a different film, too. The green of the mercury vapor lamps really made the water seem to glow.
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This unusual angle shows the temporary equipment that will help guide the cables around the saddle on the southwest corner of the bridge. The existing bridge is in the background. This is a 10 minute exposure, as it was quite dark.
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In this night view, I shot from the main concrete anchorage on Yerba Buena Island. On the right is the westbound roadway under construction and on the left the concrete pillars that will support the eastbound lanes. This is a very contrasty lighting situation and finding the right position to block as many of the construction lights as possible made me shoot from a difficult position in the middle of a construction scaffolding with only 4 feet of headroom. It is a 15 minute exposure. I especially like the red taillights of a vehicle left of center.
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On the second evening, I was able to get access to the top of the tower. Here is a twilight view looking east showing the span, the cable catwalks and the existing structure on the right. All the dark red steel structure is for construction and will not be part of the finished bridge.
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In this sweeping twilight view, we can see almost all of Yerba Buena Island and the skyline of San Francisco beyond. Traffic was heavy inbound into SF that evening. The blue structure which seems to be floating is to help with the guiding of the cables.
To get an idea of how much detail is in a 4×5 transparency, here is an enlargement of a small section of this image. The freeway signs are readable and individual windows in the skyscrapers across the bay are visible.
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I did one final shot that evening on the tower as the light was fading to show how precarious it is out in the open over 500 feet in the night air. As you can see, there is not much protection on the catwalks and scaffolding and I always walk very carefully and never hurry, especially when carrying a large format camera/tripod climbing or decending stairs. There is almost always the issue of wind out on the bay, too. The endless walking, climbing stairs while carrying equipment really gives me a workout, too! In the end, I find just being in this environment exhilarating and I feel privileged to be part of this important project.
Tom. Wonderful work! I am a long time colleague of Donald’s through my work in finance and development for low income housing. My son, Noah, interned with Donald two summers ago, and met you. I believe Don has put you and Noah in touch for possible help in locating student housing for him in Barcelona, starting Jan. 4. He is a junior at UBC in Vancouver, and is studying geography. He has a keen interest in architecture and landscape architecture, and bridge design! I’m grateful for any assistance you can provide Noah. He will be in Barcelona for six months.
His email is noah.paul.rosen@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, do copy me on notices and updates of your photos of the Bay Bridge. I hope you are planning a book!!!
Best,
David Rosen
Principal
DRA
1330 Broadway Suite 937
Oakland, CA 94612
510.451.2552
david@draconsultants.com
Magnificent, Tom! These are some of the best shots of the entire series. They really give a sense of how monumental this project is. The rich & colorful details make for very artistic images, too.
Having climbed on tall industrial structures myself in the past, I can appreciate the feeling you must have had up there — and how it must have been double when the sun went down… The way your images are framed, with the foreground detail, gives that sense of vulnerability, even as we’re treated to the breathtaking art of the light show in the distance.
Thanks again for risking your neck for art’s sake! :^)
I am green with envy, amazing shots, thanks for sending your images to me.
Tom
Having working for the California highway department many years
I do appreciate your documentation of this bridge in the Paiva’s
art and technical way. Thanks for your efforts and strength in getting
those special historic shots.
John Chan
Tom :
Another A+
Don
More singularly brilliantly-conceived and composed images from the Maestro of this genre. Fact is, this is what drives the world, these big projects, and to see industry documented in such a strikingly dramatic and beautiful way is fascinating and heartening. Bravo, Tom.
The scale and the perspectives you shot the project with are just mind bending. It really made me think of an appreciate how much work went into the construction of the bridge from the architectural planning to the guy tightening the bolts (and the crazy SOB who climbed up on it at night to take it all in.) Stunning and beautiful.
Dan
Great work Tom! The color mixed look beautiful. I am glad to see you’ve chosen large format for this project, it works well.
WOWizer Tom, More amazing stuff!
Congratulation, Tom for this incredible series. I have a feeling you have just further etched your name into the history of Night Photography.
Beautiful and technical records of an historical event.
Stunning images, Tom! I’ve been wondering about those cat walks. Also very impressed with your fitness level.
WOW. You’ve given us access to views and perspectives we could never enjoy. These are just incredible. Thank you for sharing these.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures from an advantage point few experience!
Thanks for sharing with us these beautiful and dangerous
photos.
Helene and Dad
The images are just stunning. What a great opportunity you have in documenting this. I’m wondering if when everything is complete are you planning on publishing this into a photo book or exhibiting them. The collection so far looks fabulous.
I second all that is said above, Tom. What a great project you created here! I’m also struck by an issue of perspective: the blow-up of a fragment of the view from the tower to SF puts the viewer in the position of thinking he/she is on a tower that is located south of the existing bridge, not north!